As the winter finally arrives and the temperatures drop, stillwater trout change their feeding habits – and anglers need to change their fly choice to suit.
As they hit the fry lures become the obvious choice, but there are also other killer patterns for the colder months.
Here boss of fly firm Flybox reveals his top ‘must have’ patterns for winter stillwater trout.
Catbug
One of the best stalking bugs in arguably the best colour combination of any lure. Best fished under an indicator approximately 3/4ft depth.
Black Creeper Rabbit
Great for inducing a take with lethargic winter trout. Fish them fast on a slow glass line. Best colour is nearly always black, and with a bright pair of chartreuse bead chain eyes, this is a safe bet on small waters in winter.
Apps Bloodworms/Spiders
Maximum flexibility gives this fly an edge over others - fish them with a short erratic figure of eight on a floater or slow glass.
Sunburst Leaded Blob
One of the best small water weighted blobs for fishing under an indicator. Given the vast choices of fritz colour out there I usually have at least a dozen with me at all times. Sunburst is by far my favourite and is an essential colour to have in your box - such is the effectiveness of the sunburst blob.
Coral Egg Laying Blob
Designed by Martin Smith, the egg laying blob is a revolutionary style of weighted blob which lends itself to positive hook-ups by the clever positioning of a brass bead at the bum of the fly to keep the hook positioned vertical. It also maintains the overall rounded blob shaped - compared to blobs with a bead at the head.
All of the above patterns can be found at Flybox.co.uk, click here for more details.
